The doctors at fictional Sacred Heart Hospital are in, and so is Insulet’s real-life wearable insulin management system Omnipod.
That’s a storyline fans of the beloved early-2000s medical comedy TV show "Scrubs" saw play out in a recent episode of the series’ 2026 revival, which featured a paid integration with Insulet to showcase how its Omnipod can help patients live their best day-to-day lives while managing their diabetes and insulin intake.
Insulet’s TV promo came to be as part of a plotline surrounding an annual barbecue party hosted by the show's chief of surgery, Christopher Turk, and his wife, nurse Carla Espinosa. Turk, played by actor Donald Faison, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during the original run of Scrubs in 2004. After learning to manage his diabetes throughout the show, Turk has returned for the 2026 Scrubs revival with some new tricks up his sleeve—or rather, under his sleeve.
In the episode, which aired on April 1 on ABC and streams on Disney Plus, titled “My Best Friend’s Barbecue,” Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), wonders if Turk can “still eat sweet barbecue sauce” with his diabetes.
The answer is yes—“I got my pod, I can dose insulin from my phone for any meal I want,” Turk says, flashing his phone and pulling up his sleeve to showcase his Omnipod wearable.
This is good news, as Reid’s new boyfriend Wes, a hospital transplant organ pilot played by Andy Ridings, is picking up “the best brisket in the country” from Kansas City, Reid says.
The quick line is a “milestone moment” that brings diabetes visibility to millions of viewers, Insulet’s director of U.S. consumer marketing, Lucas Escobar, who lives with diabetes himself, explained in an emailed statement.
“Disney and ABC showcasing diabetes authentically sends a powerful message: people with diabetes deserve to see themselves fully represented in culture,” Escobar said.
Insulet’s chief growth officer Manoj Raghunandanan added that brand integration has “always been central to how we build Omnipod as a category leader,” with the company’s ABC and Disney partnership marking “the clearest expression of that yet.”
"Culture shapes what people believe, and bringing Omnipod into a beloved show like Scrubs is a direct expression of that principle,” Raghunandanan said in a statement. “This kind of integration normalizes what life with diabetes looks like, helps the people we serve feel seen, and shifts what millions of people think is possible.”
The Omnipod 5 tubeless insulin pump was cleared for Type 2 diabetes in 2024, making it the first automated insulin delivery system to win FDA approval for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes management after its initial nod for Type 1 in 2022.
The device was shown to help reduce HbA1c by a mean of 0.8% for patients with Type 2 diabetes in a large study. The Omnipod system automatically delivers insulin injections as needed and can pair with a phone app to make continuous insulin delivery easier.
Last month, the company had to recall certain lots of the device after identifying a manufacturing defect that caused 18 cases of serious complications based on under-delivery of insulin to the body. Insulet notified the FDA of the issue and alerted affected customers to request a replacement pump.